Welcome to Afronerd!
A new and needed web sanctuary for people of color with intellectual and artistic pursuits. In this blog we will be addressing interesting and varied subjects, i.e. current national/world affairs, culture, science, religion, politics, entertainment and literature(including graphic novels a/k/a comic books.....yes comics). We hope you enjoy the exchange of ideas.
Peace & Godspeed.

Mission

Welcome to Afronerd! A new and needed web sanctuary for people of color with intellectual and artistic pursuits. In this blog we will be addressing interesting and varied subjects, i.e. current national/world affairs, culture, science, religion, politics, entertainment and literature(including graphic novels a/k/a comic books.....yes comics). We hope you enjoy the exchange of ideas. Peace & Godspeed

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Hey Folks! Sometimes you just need a break! Nevertheless, the show must go on and that means that Afronerd featuring Captain Kirk airs tomorrow at 7pm eastern. Keeping all things terse, join us at the allotted time to discuss these current topics: the Captain and Dburt try to make sense of NY's historic passage of the same sex marriage bill-is it the end of civilization or the future? (your guess is as good as ours); Syracuse University finance professor, Dr. Boyce Watkins (whose Black victimization hustle comes off eerily similar to Dr. Michael Eric Dyson) actually came out strongly against the coonfest depicted at the recent BET Awards; former Illinois governor, Rod Blagojevich was convicted on 17 corruption charges; A 6-figure Citigroup VP is accused of pilfering 19 million dollars (and spending it like there's no tomorrow) and Dburt pontificates on a new book entitled, The Singularity and how it ties into the first Terminator film....somehow. Feel free to call in live at 646-915-9620 or via email/IM at afronerdradio@yahoo.com. AGAIN...see you at 7pm!

OH and unfortunately, we closed shop on The Shoppe (just for today) but the gang will return in full effect next Tuesday at 7pm. Meanwhile, check out the latest blog posting from The Shoppe's own Daryll B:

Nothing much for me to rage about this week AfroNerd Readers. I think I am holding up all my rage for the Transformers '3' premiere on Wednesday. I hope you all enjoyed Cars 2 with the kiddos over the weekend because, judging by box office, NO ONE went back to see Green Lantern.... Time for some Quick Hits...

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Sorry folks but we're taking a break this evening but we will be returning fresh and rested for Wednesday's Mid Week in Review broadcast. In the interim, check out some vintage Bill Cosby kicking it in his own inimitable style...say what you will, the man IS speaking the truth. The question remains-can we handle it?

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Topics on the table: A US soldier is able to "re-grow" his leg after receiving a pig bladder injection; President Obama impersonator, Reggie Brown gets pulled off the stage during a Republican sponsored speaking engagement; A Japanese scientist has developed an edible meat substitute derived from the proteins of feces (whoa!); Are men who flaunt flashy cars the marrying kind?; Minister Farrakhan and Rep. Michele Bachmann vs President Obama?.....apparently and hip hop artist, Lupe Fiasco explains his "Obama is a terrorist" statement to Bill O'reilly & more! Call in live at-646-915-9620!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Don't forget to stop by our virtual Comic Book Shop aka The Shoppe, tomorrow at 7pm eastern. Join Captain Kirk, Daryll B. and Dburt as they analyze the most recent comic book/sci-fi and fantasy related stories such as: the new Green Lantern film which was released this past weekend to a tepid 53 million dollars in box office receipts; new comic book/graphic novel suggested reads; Dynamite releases the Bionic Man this August and can a live action film be too far behind?; actress Lucy Punch is cast as Deena Pilgrim in FX's upcoming Powers TV show; and if Powers wasn't news enough....100 Bullets is coming to Showtime as well and lastly, Brad Caleb Kane, writer and co-producer on Fox's Fringe is slated to write a Daredevil reboot to hit the silver screen. Pull up a chair and call us live at 646-915-9620 or contact us via email/IM at afronerdradio@yahoo.com. See you at 7pm!

Oops and I would be remiss if I didn't post the latest words of wisdom from The Shoppe's own Daryll B.:

Hello AfroNerd Readers/Followers and welcome to TV/Movie review week.... Actually, other places do this much better than me but I was in for a treat this past week: I had a schedule in which 6 out of 8 days saw a finale or premiere which begged for a review...

Monday: Doctor Who Mid-Season Finale: 7 out of 10... While it tied up some of the questions I had previous, the sudden inclusion of new characters that I felt (and the show makes you feel) should have been previously known took me right out of the story. Too many new characters and a wishy-washy non-ending left me unfulfilled....

Tuesday: Avengers: Earth Mightiest Heroes Season Finale: 10 out of 10... this will actually be shown Sunday Morning here in the U.S. but thanks to friends across the pond, I got to catch the 90 minute (with commercials) season finale right after the radio show. All those who keep kneecapping this because it isn't JLU, I just have to ask what is on that is better right now? Avengers rumbling with Loki in Asgard...and check out the new Iron Man suit!!!

Geek Rage Moment: How the hell did Iron Man Armored Adventures get a new season and Wolverine and the X-Men get canned again? Everytime I see the commercials on NickToons, I get Hulk Levels of pissed off! Especially before a teased Age of Apocalypse storyline...

Wednesday: I "rested" with a bout of the flu... more like the flu kicked my ass and I missed new comic book day... Gave me time to get ready for the Green Lantern movie however

Thursday and Friday: Green Lantern movie at Midnight into Friday..... Watched it again on Friday Morning so I am pretty assured in my 6.5 out of 10 ranking for the film. Good foundation for the next film and Ryan Reynolds is ok but..... it wasn't as good as X-Men First Class and nowhere near Thor. It did share the same problems as Thor though. The highlights: Hector Hammond was well played and so were Kilowog and Tomar Re. Ryan Reynolds and Mark Strong were ok. I would have changed just about everything else...including the running time. This movie barely goes past an hour and a half and they tried to squeeze 2 years of things into this...

Saturday: Outcasts...7 out of 10...Again another good foundation beginning and I have to see where the story goes. If you are familiar with British Science Fiction then you'll recognize a lot of the faces here and like the next thing I am reviewing, we are dropped in the midst of the conflict. I would say that this would be my Battlestar replacement if not for

Sunday: Falling Skies ...9 out of 10....Take the Librarian series, mix it with War of the Worlds and add in some Galactica level hard choices and morals for good measure. This may be simplistic in some respects (the little kid got annoying but which of them aren't in end of the world/sci-fi stories?) but complex in others (alien traps? human factions?). The premiere was 2 episodes back to back, but the type of storytelling and set-ups made this viewer feel like he was a part of the struggle... Can TNT and their writers keep up the good momentum...?

Monday: Sanctuary....4 out of 10...My only true disappointment from a week out good science fiction. My displeasure actually has been over the last 4 episodes which felt like they crammed double the episode events into them. This fast forward / info dump has been jarring to this fan and I hope it doesn't mean bad things for the series....

2) Comics Alliance got their associates together to take a look at some of the costume "tweaks" of the reboot. I will say that this is enlightening, especially for a male like me, on several levels....

4) I do not see how the Wildstorm Characters like Midnighter and Apollo who are obviously based on bedrock DC icons will work in the actual DC Universe even with Martian Manhunter on the squad. On the other hand, I do trust Paul Cornell as a writer...

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=32856

5) If you folks wondered what Attack The Block was from our last show, Spinoff Online has a review with pictures and trailer. The good news on top of that is that the movie has found an American distributor and will be on our shores July 29th...

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Well, another year is flowing by us at the speed of thought (or is that the speed of light...Barry Allen fans?) as evident with what appears to be the fast approach of Father's Day. Set your clocks for 7pm tomorrow as Dburt and Captain Kirk discuss the following crop of current events laden fare: Congressman, Anthony Weiner's resignation still hasn't assuaged the media assault and interest toward this Queens, NY politician; our musings on the state of fatherhood 2011 in a historic Obama presidency; stalwart Afronerd listener/supporter and FreedomTrainonline.com contributor, Q-storm stops by with a mind blowing story about political correctness on steroids as it relates to submitting alternative Black interest stories to "liberal" media outlets; MIA comedian, Dave Chappelle may be returning to TV; what exactly did conservative radio show host, Neal Boortz say that was so incendiary toward Atlanta's African-American community? Dburt's brief review of Green Lantern (a more expanded review can be heard on Tuesday's Comic Shoppe show) and lastly, any remaining items of business left on the table from Wednesday's Mid Week in Review broadcast. So, pull up a seat and call in live at: 646-915-9620 or via email/IM at-afronerdradio@yahoo.com.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Once AGAIN, it's time to discuss world events, courtesy of Afronerd Radio! Pull up a seat and listen to Capt. Kirk and Dburt wax on the mundane to the serious. Let's go down the topic list, shall we? The Issues du jour are as follows: a brief synopsis and of course our opinion of New Hampshire's Republican debate; A Daily Beast piece posits whether minority children's exposure to television dooms them scholastically; UK sci-fi thriller, Attack The Block may be the anti Super 8; is Congressman Anthony Weiner receiving too much coverage for his transgressions and can the excessive media attention be rooted in subtle anti-Semitism?....and lastly, a continuation of the Eric Holder's The Wire obsession, Chazmia Morrison and Wiz Khalifa stories left over form Sunday's broadcast. Call in live at 646-915-9620 or via email/IM-afronerdradio@yahoo.com.

Monday, June 13, 2011

Hey folk, it's that time once AGAIN! Stop by our Comic Shoppetomorrow at 7pm as Daryll B, Capt. Kirk and yours truly shed some light on this week's topics: as DC revamps its entire comic book line with fresh new number one issues, Superman and other characters are experiencing wardrobe changes; the Shoppe crew finally get around to suggesting some comic book/graphic novel reads for their listeners; thoughts on the introduction of a Black character to the Batman family.....Batwing; a review of the new Green Lantern animated release, Green Lantern: Emerald Knights in addition to predictions for this upcoming weekend's release of the live action iteration and lastly, if time permits we will give our impression of DC and Marvel's event story lines thus far (and why aren't there event story lines for publishers outside of the big two). Feel free to give us a call live at: 646-915-9620 or contact us via email/IM at afronerdradio@yahoo.com.

Saturday, June 11, 2011

Never let it be said that you can't get a full course meal here at Afronerd Radio! Join Captain Kirk and Dburt at afronerdradio.com this Sunday at 7pm as they muse on the following issues: former Godfather Pizza CEO and now Republican presidential hopeful, Herman Cain's recent comments regarding Black and Muslim communities, respectively; comedian and 30 Rock TV star, Tracy Morgan is in hot water with the LGBT (and by extension his colleague, Tina Fey) over his alleged homophobic rant during a stand-up performance; more MDK (murder, death, kill) chaos in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn; teenage assault defendant, Chazmia Morrison and rapper, Wiz Khalifa have a common wardrobe malfunction and lastly, it appears that whatever Attorney General Eric Holder wants, he gets! Holder made a public plea for either a movie or 6th season of HBO's The Wire and it might just happen! So, once AGAIN, call us live at 646-915-9620 or via email/IM at afronerdradio@yahoo.com.

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

Guess what? It's Mid Week in Review time! And it's courtesy of Afronerd Radio airing at afronerdradio.com tomorrow at 7pm eastern. Stop by or better yet, call in live at 646-915-9620 (or email/IM-afronerdradio@yahoo.com) as Dburt and Captain Kirk elucidate on the following topics: famed civil rights organization, the NAACP has come under fire via their NY chapter for suing to limit the expansion of charter schools-a move that many believe harms the very Black and Brown kids the organization has historically sworn to protect; a brief revisiting of the racial and gender overtones of the new X-Men: First Class film; new polling data shows that President Obama is no longer being perceived as "cool" by the college crowd; embattled NY Congressman, Anthony Weiner has a mea culpa press conference admitting to his twitter transgressions and the crew's thoughts on a Canadian couple making the news for intending to raise their newborn in a "genderless" manner....whew! Once AGAIN...prepare for more enlightening if not, fiery talk by way of Afronerd Radio.....see you at 7pm!

Monday, June 06, 2011

Well, were back and ready for business! Check out The Comic Shoppe, courtesy of Afronerd Radiotomorrow at 7pm eastern. Stop by and pull up a chair to listen to Daryll B, Captain Kirk and yours truly discuss the following comic book/sci-fi and fantasy oriented subject matter: X-Men: First Class was released this past weekend to a respectable but below expectations 56 million box office draw....we will talk about financial as well as the racial implications of the film; DC intends to not only reboot their entire line back to #1s but also release corresponding digital download versions by the fall of 2011; in the world of video gaming, the 2011 E3 Expo begins this week; and speaking of video games, the SYFY network's Red Faction: Origins series recently aired and lastly, our favorite comic book reads/suggestions from last week. So, once again, call in live at 646-915-9620 or via email/IM-afronerdradio@yahoo.com to participate or elucidate....you choose.

And as always, check out the latest blog posting by the Shoppe's own Daryll B:

Hi AfroNerd Readers and listeners. Before I begin this I would like to apologize to you and my compatriots for missing the last Comic Shoppe show. Hopefully, this won't happen again. I'll keep this blog brief with quick thoughts then give you some links from my fav sites over the past week.

Firstly, I am digging Fear Itself immensely. However, as of issue #3, I am seriously hating Matt Fraction which only stands to prove that he's got me seriously hooked to get me worked up over a trope that was obvious as heck if I was reading rationally....

Next, I loved the Static Shock Special and I believe that Dwayne McDuffie would like it too... However, DC transforming Mister Terrific into a Black Panther/Falcon combo...notsomuch...

Avengers Academy 14.1 was hands down, the BEST of the point one issues so far...

If you haven't been watching Doctor Who... what is wrong with you? And the more commercials I see of Falling Skies on TNT, just cements that I have to watch it....

My apologies to Charlotte Fullerton, McDuffie's Widow, for forgetting her name on the show 2 weeks ago. After going through a marathon of Ben 10 and his different incarnations over the weekend, I have to wonder why DC hasn't approached her to do an all ages book yet.....

I am geeked up because this week promises me a new mini marvels book...and I am also getting the Darkwing Duck trade....

Now on to the links....

1) Interesting views on parts of the DC reboot by blogger David Brothers at 4th Letter but as usual the comments section became a much more fascinating read:

What role should an author's personal political stance play in your purchase of a book? This is a tricky question indeed and most of the commenters, along with Mr. Brothers provided insightful responses. I must admit, political views don't affect me as much as racist/sexist stances. Orson Scott Card is a prime example for me... I just can't bring myself to buy one of his novels due to some statements he has been linked to in the past

2) Comics Alliance went around to various retailers about the DC line wide reboot and found that their responses are as varied as the customers'

http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/06/02/retailers-dc-reboot/

CBR does the same thing here:

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=32619

3) Speaking of the reboot, Gail Simone gives her opinion with this column:

Saturday, June 04, 2011

Good Evening, true believers, supporters and detractors! I'm just coming of a "nerdic" euphoria after bearing witness to the latest in the Marvel Comics movie franchise-X-men: First Class. We will, of course, discuss the film in depth on Tuesday's Comic Shoppe but we will address some overtones in the film that still continue to persist as a formulaic device when it comes to characters of color. Captain Kirk is scheduled to check out the film on Monday, so out of respect, I will be very vague as it pertains to the plot and spoilers. Anyway, let's run down the rest of the issues to be discussed....AGAIN, tomorrow at 7pm eastern at-afronerdradio.com: I'm fairly certain that our listeners are aware of the cursory advances taking place in the biotech industry but the latest news appears to be a new and substantive anti-aging pill; more on Congressman Anthony Weiner's "wiener" dilemma; Dburt has a double rant involving yet another misleading Mediatakeout blog posting involving monolithic, authentic vs inauthentic Blackness (AGAIN!!) and a life lesson from his father, The Oracle. Definitely not the show to miss! Stop by or better yet, call in live at 646-915-9620 or via email/IM-afronerdradio@yahoo.com. And remember, in the immortal words of Eric Lehnsherr-"Always remember: Mutant, and proud!"...